Pleased to meat you

Overheard at a Spokane restaurant:

Diner: “What is a flatiron steak?”

Waitress: “It’s a steak that they put on the grill and then put a hot iron on top to cook it.”

What?

No, no, no. Clearly, she didn’t check with the chef, who undoubtedly knew better. Yet I can’t be too harsh on this waitress. I once labored under the same misconception. I thought it was a clever new method of searing a steak on both sides at once.

So let’s put this issue to rest right here. A flatiron steak is simply a cut of steak, formerly known as a top-blade steak. The name comes from the triangular shape of the meat before it is cut into steaks, which is reminiscent of an old-fashioned flatiron. It does not refer to how it’s prepared, nor does a hot iron ever come anywhere near it.

And one more thing: The flatiron steak is popular right now, especially in the restaurant world.

“It has been wonderfully popular for us,” said Jonathan Sweatt, executive chef and co-owner of the Downriver Grill in Spokane. “It’s one of our top two sellers. And no, we have no irons in the restaurant that we put on our beef.”

Moxie, in downtown Spokane, serves flatiron steak in three different forms: as a marinated and thinly sliced appetizer, as a stir fry, and as a teriyaki-glazed main dish.

“I like them because there’s a lot of marbling and they are not overly priced,” said Ian Wingate, chef-owner of Moxie. “We go through a lot of flatiron steaks.”

They are also available at Commellini’s and Maggie’s South Hill Grill, to name a few.

This cut, from the upper shoulder, has only recently been marketed as a tender cut of steak. The piece has a large, tough tendon running through the center, which once made it less than desirable. Yet food researchers recently discovered that the piece can be cut in a specific way to remove the tough tissue, leaving two triangular pieces that can be cut into boneless steaks.

This piece, from the very top of the blade chuck roast, is one of the most tender muscles in the entire beef carcass. Yet the name top-blade steak just sounded tough, so an older name, flatiron, has been revived.

“It has a great tenderness to it, more tender than most cuts except the tenderloin,” said Sweatt. “It’s not nearly as stiff as, for instance, a flank steak.”

The flatiron also has plenty of flavor, which is no surprise coming from the flavorful shoulder. Still, it has proven to be a tough marketing challenge at supermarkets.

“When they find out it comes off the chuck, (customers) are afraid they’ll have to roast it or something,” said Doug Hansen, the meat merchandiser for the Rosauers supermarket chain. “But it’s very tender. We’re handling it more and more and getting requests for it. People are beginning to see it on ‘Emeril Live’.”

The flatiron steak is still mostly a restaurant phenomenon, but home grillers have started to discover it. The 2005 edition of “Weber’s Real Grilling” cookbook includes two flatiron recipes (one of which we reprint below).

Hansen said the Rosauers stores in the area recently switched the name from top blade to flatiron and have been keeping more of them on hand.

The recent restaurant demand began to affect one of the flatiron’s major selling points: its low price. The price shot up for a time, but now the price has gone back down to the “affordable steak” level, usually about $3.99 per pound, said Hansen.

Shoppers should approach the cut with a critical eye. According to Sweatt, it’s a cut that can vary enormously in quality.

“I started playing around with them four or five years ago, when it was hard to get them,” said Sweatt. “I found a great butcher in Portland, and they have done a great job of keeping it close to my specs.”

Chefs love the flatiron for one other quality: Its capacity to take on a marinade.

“We marinate ours for 24 hours in red wine, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, ginger and a little honey,” said Sweatt. “And then we grill it, which gives it a nice charcoal flavor.”

“By marinating it first, it makes it even more tender,” said sous chef Dani Briceno of Moxie, where the flatiron is marinated in miso and kalbi (a Korean flavoring combination).

In general, however, the preparation method is exactly the same as for any other steak: Place on grill and cook to desired doneness.

Oh, and one more thing: Do not place a large, heavy laundry implement on top of it.

Here are a few suggestions for preparation and sauces. If you can’t find flatiron steaks, you can use any relatively tender cut of steak:

Flatiron Steaks with Great Green Sauce

Recipe from Rachael Ray and the Food Network

4 (6 to 8-ounce) pieces flatiron steak

Salt

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

1 cup flat-leaf parsley

1 shallot, coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons capers

6 fillets anchovies

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Black pepper

2 beefsteak tomatoes, sliced

Preheat a griddle pan or large nonstick skillet to medium-high heat. Season steaks with salt and drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil. When pan is very hot, add meat and cook steaks 4 minutes on each side, medium rare, up to 6 or 7 minutes on each side, medium well. Medium rare is recommended for this cut of meat, similar to a hanger steak.

Place parsley, shallot, capers, anchovies in a food processor and grind. Scrape herb mix into a small bowl. Stir in Worcestershire sauce and vinegar and about 1 teaspoon of coarse black pepper.

Top steaks with quarter of the sauce. Garnish plate with sliced tomatoes seasoned with salt and pepper.

Yield: 4 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 294 calories, 13 grams fat (6 grams saturated, 43 percent fat calories), 39 percent fat calories, 2.5 grams carbohydrate, 93 milligrams cholesterol, less than 1 gram dietary fiber, 600 milligrams sodium.

Chili-Rubbed Flatiron Steaks with Chipotle-Red Pepper Sauce

Recipe courtesy of “Weber’s Real Grilling,” by Jamie Purviance, Sunset Books

2 flatiron steaks, about one pound each, 1/2 -inch thick

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons prepared chili powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Sauce:

2 large red bell peppers

2 large garlic cloves

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 canned chipotle chili pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To make the sauce: Grill the bell peppers over direct high heat until they are blackened and blistered all over, turning occasionally. Place the peppers in a large bowl and cover with plastic to trap the steam. Set aside for at least 10 minutes, then remove the peppers from the bowl and peel away the charred skins. Cut off the tops and remove the seeds. Place the peppers in a food processor or blender along with the remaining sauce ingredients. Process until smooth. Transfer to a small serving bowl.

Allow the steaks to stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before grilling. Lightly brush or spray the steaks all over with oil and season with chili powder, salt and pepper. Grill over direct high heat until cooked to desired doneness, 4 to 6 minutes for medium rare, turning once. Remove from the grill and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes before cutting into 1/4 -inch slices. Serve warm with the sauce.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving, based on 6: 411 calories, 25 grams fat (8 grams saturated, 56 percent fat calories), 41 grams protein, 3 grams carbohydrate, 101 milligrams cholesterol, less than 1 gram dietary fiber, 435 milligrams sodium.